More on Health Care

“Today, 78 people will likely die of a heroin or opioid overdose,” wrote the members. “This epidemic rages on across the United States, and local law enforcement and public health agencies are overwhelmed by need. It is our responsibility to provide them with the resources they desperately require to save lives and repair their communities. We continue to hear from leaders in law enforcement and in addiction recovery who say they are unable to provide assistance to needy residents because they lack the funds. As you complete work on the 21st Century Cures legislation, we write to encourage you to include immediate funding to combat heroin and opioid addiction and overdose in this package. Knowing that Cures will likely be one of the final pieces of legislation that Congress acts on this year, we hope you will consider this a final opportunity to take needed action to combat this crisis."

“The Census Bureau reports that the number of uninsured in eastern Connecticut’s Second District stood at 3.6% in 2015, down from 4.7% in 2014,” said Courtney. “These numbers are more impressive when compared to 2013 when the Connecticut health insurance exchange went live. At that time, the uninsured rate stood at 7.2%, which meant that thousands of residents – including children and working age adults were shut out of coverage due high costs and other barriers such as suffering from a preexisting condition. The Second District now has the lowest number of uninsured of all five Connecticut congressional districts, and that is due in large part to the hard work of community volunteers at health centers, hospitals, libraries and senior centers who have helped so many to find coverage.”

“I applaud this move by the VA, streamlining the process for our veterans in need of care for their hearing and sight,” said Courtney. “These are the kinds of improvements that the VA has needed to implement, and I am glad to see them moving toward giving our veterans what they deserve: the finest care as promptly as possible.”

“Accessible and quality mental health services are some of the most urgent needs in the Windham area, and this new facility will ensure that the people of this region have the support and care they need,” Congressman Courtney said. “United Services is on the front lines of providing high quality care in eastern Connecticut, and I am proud to have worked to secure the resources needed to build this new center.”

“I am deeply disappointed that Republican leadership refuses to even consider the emergency funding that communities across this country are crying out for to address their most pressing needs such as increasing the number of treatment beds. We are facing down a nationwide public health emergency of almost unprecedented scale, and today Congress took a pass on taking any real action which could help turn the tide against this epidemic of rising drug abuse. The measure we passed today simply does not match the severity of the crisis it is it meant to address."

“I was very pleased by the strong bipartisan support for the mental health bill passed by the House yesterday which includes a section of my bill to add child and adolescent physiatrists to the National Health Service Crops,” said Courtney. “We know that when children experience trauma or mental illness at a young age, it can have a profound impact on the rest of their lives. With nearly 1 out of every 5 young American’s experiencing some type of mental health issue during adolescence, we owe it to our children to make sure we are providing enough psychiatric providers to care for them."

"While the scope and urgency of the opioid crisis would justify this investment being considered emergency spending, we are willing to put Federal budget savings on the table, demonstrating that there is no excuse for inaction when it comes to funding for treatment and prevention of opioid addiction,” said the Democratic Conferees.

“I was very pleased by the strong bipartisan support for the mental health bill passed yesterday which includes a section of my bill to add child and adolescent physiatrists to the National Health Service Crops,” said Courtney. “In the wake of the most recent mass shooting in this country, we are reminded of a time in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting when there was an extreme need for trained child psychiatrists to address the mental health needs of young people. We know that when children experience trauma or mental illness at a young age, it can have a profound impact on the rest of their lives. We owe it to our children to make sure we are providing enough psychiatric providers to care for them."

When Justice Croutch graduated from Tolland High School five years ago, her future looked bright.
With dazzling green eyes and a smile that lit up a room, she enrolled in a dental hygienist program, earning a 4.0-grade point average in her first year.
Now 22, Justice is in a vegetative state in a New Hampshire nursing home, needing a machine to breathe and unable to recognize her family or friends.

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to craft legislation to address the growing prescription opioid and heroin epidemic gripping our country,” Courtney said. “I remain disappointed that the bills put forward by Senate and House leadership did not provide any new funding to address the growing drug abuse epidemic, but I am encouraged that the measure does include many well intentioned bipartisan initiatives to address this crisis. I will press my colleagues on the committee to include a provision similar to my bill that would provide emergency funding to stem the growing public health crisis brought about by drug abuse.”